inquiry on Sounds Around the House

[superboober]

Since we brought it up in a recent thread, I've realized something about it: how could they have possibly known when the train was going to pass outside the window at the key point in the sketch? Since it seemed to have been shot on location somewhere rather than a studio (anyone have any idea where in New York this may have been?), and given that it probably wouldn't have been possible to superimpose the outside footage on 70s technology, especially given that the camera is in more or less constant motion until after the train passes, and it's clear they did it all it a single take with no cuts, so you have to wonder how they knew to time it right. Do you suppose they got access to the New York transit schedule of the time before the shoot and timed the whole thing out to the train's arrival?

 

[mikebennidict]

They probably didn't know when the train was comming but I'm gonna take a wild guess that transit agency runs trains every 10 or 15 minutes or they'd figured sooner or later a train would come.

Of course if you're considering how all that other stuff came before the train them I guess it probably is quite interesting.

 

[superboober]

And actually, having looked at it again, I can answer my own question, since I noticed a clear video edit now once the camera closes on the record player and stops for a brief moment. So they probably did film the rest first and waited for the train to come, whereat they'd only have to zoom in a few more feet to finish the thing (still you then have to wonder if they had to do a lot of takes until it was perfected).

 

[JLG]

Cool--I didn't know anyone else called those films "Sounds Around the House". That's what I happened to start call them because I couldn't think of anything else.